Can yoga save the career of Dee Milliner?
Torn ACL. Ankle injuries. Broken wrist. This cornerback turns to yoga to battle injuries.
 |
Dee Milliner turning to yoga to save Jets career – NFL.com Jets cornerback Dee Milliner is hoping his final year on scholarship is the one that turns his career around — and he’s looking to yoga to ensure rapid progress. |
| Source: www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000669445/article/dee-milliner-turning-to-yoga-to-save-jets-career | |
Dee Milliner is always injured every football season, going back to his days at Alabama with a sports hernia and 2 shoulder injuries. More surgeries have sidelined him in his first 4 seasons in the NFL, raising questions about his health. This is one of the reasons why the New York Jets did not pick up his 5th year option, which means that he will be a free agent after the 2016 season. The writing is on the wall that this player is a bust after being selected 9th overall in the 2013 draft, even though circumstances have been out of his control.
Even though Milliner may try yoga to be more flexible and less prone to injuries, there are several factors that are not in his favor. First, there is no guarantee that yoga will prevent another devastating injury. His body is just not made to play football and with a 6 foot 201 pound frame, it has broken down both at the college level and at the pros. He just can’t be counted upon during the season and is a major liability.
Second, even if Milliner comes back healthy, it will be impossible to get his starting job back alongside Darrelle Revis. CBs Marcus Williams and Buster Skrine were the best playmakers in the backfield and were stout in pass coverage. They excelled in the nickel and dime packages and even performed well during the games that Antonio Cromartie missed due to injuries. It is only logical that either of them get a shot at a starting spot because of their prior success while Dee hasn’t played in Todd Boles’ system yet and has not developed chemistry with his other defensive backs. Skrine and Williams have earned the trust of the coaching staff and their team mates while Milliner will just be a liability in the defense.
As the season looms ahead, the end is near for the career of Milliner. Gang Green can not afford to bring him along while he tries to learn this blitzing scheme and know what his responsibilities are. There are 2 CBs in Marcus and Buster who are more than capable of taking over the roster spot left by Cromartie and will only get better as they become familiar in the system. Barring any unforeseen circumstances such as injuries, Dee will compete for the last CB spot with other players like Dexter McDougle and rookie Juston Burris and will struggle to make the team. All of these negative factors point to Milliner auditioning for another team in 2016 as his fate is already cemented with the Jets.
